Rip Current Dangers at Jersey Shore [AUDIO]

As the weather gets hotter and more people hit the beach, New Jersey officials are warning swimmers about the dangers of rip currents.

Logan Mock-Bunting, Getty Images

Rip currents are strong, narrow currents moving away from the shore. They form as waves travel from deep to shallow water.

"When the water comes on the shore - then goes back, it is pulling anything in its way back toward the ocean," said Capt. Mike Veracierta with the Seaside Park Beach Patrol.

According to figures from the National Weather Service, there were no drownings at the Jersey Shore in 2013, but five people drowned in May and June of 2012.

Nationally, there were 64 rip current fatalities in 2013 and 13 so far in 2014.

While there is no specific time of day or month for rip currents, they are a lot more frequent when offshore storms create unusual swells in the surf. Veracierta said rip currents also seem to occur more frequently in August.

What should swimmers do if they encounter a rip current?

Wildwood Beach Patrol Chief Steve Stocks said swimmers should swim parallel to the shore. "If you fight the current, you become exhausted. Once you become exhausted, you begin to panic. And once you panic you can enter into the IDR, which is the instinctive drowning response.